Letters / What will happen to the UHI facilities in Lerwick?
The UHI have lost the plot with accommodation, spending money for the sake of spending money, while they have given no consideration to future students.
They plan to use £2 million Island Growth government money to make what was a student accommodation block in Scalloway into offices and classrooms.
There are a number of problems with this approach. The alterations will not happen overnight, so what will be done in the meantime.
Offices and classrooms in UHI Shetland will be used, some of these built fairly recently by the UHI! Students needing accommodation will have to look elsewhere when there is already an accommodation shortage.
There has to be a question over the probity of using Island Growth money to improve some assets in order to close down other assets.
Are there not better candidate projects in Shetland that could use £2 million for something worthwhile?
The facilities at NAFC are good but quite tight. The car park is packed now, where are the extra cars going when more staff and students turn up? The main road through Scalloway is tricky at times, extra traffic going through to NAFC will be problematic.
What will happen to the college facilities in Lerwick?
Whether we like it or not, all roads lead to Lerwick. If a student relying on public transport living in Skeld, Virkie or wherever, wants to attend Scalloway then they have to go to Lerwick, then Scalloway. All that is needed is a missed or delayed connection, and what was going to be a long day anyway becomes even more fraught.
Time to think about what exists already, what does not need to be built, the waste of public funds and the implications for students.
Brian Nugent
Hamnavoe
Burra
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